Cary Clack: Telling stories, building bridges

:
July 9, 2011
: Updated: July 9, 2011 12:04am

Since childhood, those four words have been a signal to us that a story will soon commence.

Once upon a time.

And so, from childhood on, we learn the power of story to take captive our attention, give flight to our imagination, and entertain and educate us.

We all have stories, and most of us have more stories than money. When someone who has financial wealth dies, that money doesn't go with them, and eventually it will be used.

But when our treasure chest of stories isn't shared and is taken to the grave, the tales are lost forever.

The storied city of San Antonio is rich in lore and myth and nearly as rich in the number of gifted storytellers who pass on tradition, culture and wisdom on front porches, around kitchen tables, in barbershops and beauty salons, and during long drives in the summer.

These numbers include the likes of professional storytellers such as Early B. Teal, who died in February, and Elder Stone, now in his 80s, a member of the San Antonio Storytellers Association, who founded Stories Galore, which was, until recently, a monthly gathering of local storytellers.

This weekend, storytellers from across the nation are in San Antonio as the National Storytelling Network presented its awards during the Tejas Storytelling Association Conference. The conference concludes this morning at Mission San José with “Sacred Tales at San Jose” (9 a.m.-10:30 a.m.), where stories of different faiths will be told as an example of how story can build bridges of understanding.

“Storytelling is the difference between human beings and other creatures,” says Mary Grace Ketner of San Antonio, until June a board member of Tejas Storytelling San Antonio.

“We remember, recount, recall, learn from experience and pass along our knowledge and feelings in stories. All religions are based on a story; personal faith is based on one's own story. They say that you cannot hate someone once you know their story. That's a good enough goal for me!”

Ketner did as much storytelling as she could as part of her job at the Institute of Texan Cultures until she retired in 2007 to become a full-time storyteller in schools and at festivals.

Elaborating — and all good storytellers elaborate — on the power of narrative, Ketner speaks of the different purposes of stories.

“Stories affirm our values and help us grasp the important meanings of life,” she says. “They make us laugh; they make us cry; they give us insight into the universe and one another.”

She offered a story as an illustration.

“They say that Truth, the naked Truth, was passing from village to village, and wherever he spoke, the people shouted him down and cursed him, chased him out of their village. This happened over and over again. Once, hiding in a forest trying to decide whether to go into the next village, he saw a beautiful, vibrant, colorfully dressed creature sitting near the well; people gathered 'round and listened, and smiled, and cheered at what she had to say.

“When she left the village, Truth stopped her and asked what she did to get people to listen to her. He had been telling the people about himself for months, and it only made people angry.

“She introduced herself. ‘I am Story,' she said, and she gave Truth some of her own colorful garments, and together they went to the next village. When Truth spoke, people listened. And since that day, Truth has always traveled best with Story.”

Humankind's oldest form of entertainment and enlightenment is one generation's gift to those that follow.

“Oral storytelling is one of the most intimate experiences people can have,” says Ketner. “When you're in a school, you can look each child in the eye, and they think you're telling just to them. And they are right!”

Cary Clack's column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. To leave him a message, call 210-250-3486 or email cclack@express-news.net.